Meadowcreek High School AP Human Geography Syllabus Instructor: Mr. David Cruz Classroom: 2.213 Email: David_Cruz@gwinnett.k12.ga.us Office Hours: Help sessions are available before and after school Monday-Thursday, by appointment only, in room. (Tuesday s work best for me!) Course Overview The purpose of the AP Human Geography course is to introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth s surface. Students learn to employ spatial concepts and landscape analysis to examine human socioeconomic organization and its environmental consequences. They also learn about the methods and tools geographers use in their research and applications. Course Objectives To introduce students to the systematic study of patterns and processes that have shaped human understanding, use, and alteration of Earth s surface. To learn about and employ the methods of geographers, especially including observation, mapmaking, data gathering and reporting, and technical writing. To employ spatial concepts, geographic vocabulary, and landscape interpretation to a variety of locations and situations around the globe and in local areas. To develop a geographic perspective with which to view the landscape and understand current events. To begin to look at the local in terms of a global world that is interconnected and systematic. Course Curriculum Content Visit apcentral.collegeboard.org and view an expansive course description. AP COUSE THEMES I. Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives II. Population and Migration III. Cultural Patterns and Processes IV. Political Organization of Space V. Agriculture, Food Production, and Rural Land Use VI. Industrialization and Economic Development VII. Cities and Urban Land Use GOALS Interpret maps and analyze geospatial data. Understand and explain the implications of associations and networks among phenomena in places. Recognize and interpret the relationships among patterns and processes at different scales of analysis. Define regions and evaluate the regionalization process. Characterize and analyze changing interconnections among places.
Teaching Strategies I have structured my class around the following main activities: Chapter Readings & Reading Guides Journal Reflections in notebook Categorillas (mapping strategy) 4-level map analysis Case Studies + Article Reviews S.P.R.I.T.E. (analysis) Frayer Model (vocabulary strategy) Reading for Meaning (reading strategy) FRQ s (Free Response Questions as AP exam will be) OPTICs (analysis) A series of activities that will be used to create portfolio based on the student s local *Note: Students will learn these strategies early on as they will be repeated each unit. Other activities & strategies will also be used, but not as frequently. Activities will be done in the classroom. Homework will be given weekly in the form of readings and reading guides. Unit Assessments: There will be some type of assessment at the end of every unit. It may not always be a form test. However, the class is cumulative. So although one unit may be assessed at the end through multiple choice, the same topics could be seen on a later exam. Expectations Students will be respectful to one another and treat the classroom as a learning community. Students will come to class prepared and ready to learn. Students will put forth their best effort and try. Mistakes will happen, but only lead to growth. Mr. Cruz will listen to any issue a student might have and address it appropriately so that we may continue to grow as a community and have a successful year. *Note: This is an AP course and will have the rigor of a college course. However, Mr. Cruz promises to provide what is necessary for students to grow in their learning and reach success. If there are any problems or concerns do not hesitate to contact her.
Course Materials & Resources Supplies Needed: Pen/Pencil/Paper Journal notebook (left in class with Mr. Cruz) project supplies as needed throughout the year Resources: Main textbook: Human Geography: Culture, Society, and Space, 8th Edition, @ 2007 Harm J. de Blij, Alexander B. Murphy, Erin H. Fouberg Supplemental: Goode s World Atlas, 18 th Edition, @ 1990 Edward B. Espenshade Jr. The Cultural Landscape: An introduction to Human Geography, 11 th Edition, @2014 James M. Rubenstein Course Planner Beginning of each unit will be given a KBAT (Know & Be able to know) that will explain what you will learn in the unit, required readings, as well as case studies that will be used. The following gives the pacing chart and brief explanation of each unit for the school year. Unit 1: Geography: Its Nature and Perspectives (Weeks 1-4) The AP Human Geography course emphasizes the importance of geography as a field of inquiry and briefly discusses the emergence of academic geography in nineteenth-century Europe. It shows how the discipline has evolved into the study of diverse peoples and areas organized around a set of concepts. This discussion of the evolution of the discipline helps students understand how human geography is related to the rest of the field. The course introduces students to the importance of spatial organization the location of places, people, and events and the connections among places and landscapes in the understanding of human life on Earth. Geographic concepts emphasized throughout the course are location, space, place, scale, pattern, regionalization, and globalization. These concepts are basic to students understanding of spatial interaction and spatial behavior, the dynamics of human population growth and movement, patterns of culture, economic use of Earth, political organization of space, and human settlement patterns, particularly urbanization. Students learn how to use and interpret maps. They also learn to apply mathematical formulas, models, and qualitative data to geographical concepts. The course also makes use of the concept of the region, encourages students to consider the regional
organization of various phenomena, and enables students to create regions in order to illustrate process. A significant outcome of the course is students awareness of the relevance of academic geography to everyday life and decision making. This combination of the academic and the applied gives students a sophisticated view of the world and an understanding of the manifold applications of what they have learned in the course. Required reading: De Blij Chapter 1 Pages 8-32 How do geographers describe where things are? Why is each point on earth unique? Why are different places similar? Why are some human actions not sustainable? Unit 2: Population & Health (Weeks 5-7) A consideration of the ways in which the human population s organized geographically provides AP students with the tools they need to make sense of cultural, political, economic, and urban systems. Thus, many of the concepts and theories encountered in this part of the course crosscut with other course modules, In addition, the course themes of scale, pattern, place, and interdependence can all be illustrated with population topics. For example, students may analyze the distribution of the human population at different scales: global, continental, national, state or province, and local community. Explanations of why population is growing or declining in some places and not others center on understanding the processes of fertility, mortality, and migration. In stressing the relevance of place context for example, students may assess why fertility rates have dropped in some parts of the developing world but not others, and how age sex structures vary from one country to another. Analysis of refugee flows, immigration, internal migration, and residential mobility helps students appreciate the interconnections between population phenomena and other topics. Environmental degradation may prompt rapid out-migration and urbanization, in turn creating new pressures on the environment. Refugee flows may be magnified when groups have no access to political power because of the way boundaries have been drawn. Rapid immigration to certain parts of the world fosters regional differences in industrial employment and political sentiment toward foreigners. This part of the course also aids in our understanding of contemporary growth trends by considering how models of population change, including the demographic and epidemiological (mortality) transitions. Given these kinds of understandings, students are in a position to evaluate the role, strengths, and weaknesses of major population policies. For example, how might increasing the education levels of females lead to lower fertility? Required reading: De Blij Chapter 2 Pages 34-65
Where is the world s population distributed? Why is global population increasing? Why does population growth vary among regions? Why do some regions face health threats? Unit 3: Migration (Week 8-9) Understanding the components and regional variations of cultural patterns and processes is critical to human geography. In this section of the course, students begin with the concept of culture. They learn how geographers assess the spatial and place dimensions of cultural groups as defined by language, religion, race, ethnicity, and gender, in the present as well as the past. A central concern is to comprehend how culture patterns are represented at a variety of geographic scales from local to global. Diffusion is a key concept in understanding how cultural trails (for example, agricultural practices and language) move through time and space to new locations. Students learn that the concept of region is central to the spatial distribution of cultural attributes, The course also explores cultural differences at various scales according to language, religion, ethnicity, and gender. The geographies of language and religion are studied to illustrate processes of cultural diffusion and cultural differences. For example, students learn to distinguish between languages and dialects; ethnic and universalizing religions; and popular and folk cultures, and to understand why each has a different geographic pattern. An important emphasis of the course is the way culture shapes human environment relationships. For example, religion can influence environmental perception and modification. The differential impact on environment of traditional folk cultures versus popular cultures is studied, as is the significance of environment in relation to social customs and cultural landscapes. Students also come to understand how culture is expressed in landscapes, and how landscapes in turn represent cultural identity. Built environments enable the geographer to interpret cultural values, tastes, and sets of beliefs. For example, both folk and contemporary architecture are rich and readily available means of comprehending cultures and changes in landscapes. Required reading: De Blij Chapter 3 pages 68-94 Where are migrants distributed? Where do people migrate within a country? Why do people migrate? Why do migrants face obstacles? Unit 4: Cultural Patterns and Processes: Popular Culture & Language (Week 10-12)
This section of the course introduces students to the nature and significance of the political organization of territory at different scales. Students learn that political patterns reflect ideas about how Earth s surface should be organized mid affect a wide range of activities and understandings. The course gives primary attention to the political geography of the modem nation-state or country. Students are introduced to the different forces that shaped the evolution of the contemporary world political map, including the rise of the modem state in Europe and the influence of colonialism. Students also learn about the basic structure of the political map and the inconsistencies between maps of political boundaries and maps of ethnic, economic, and environmental patterns. In addition, students consider some of the forces that are changing the role of individual countries in the modern world, including ethnic separatism, economic globalization, the emergence of regional economic blocs, and the need to confront environmental problems that cross national boundaries. This part of the course also focuses on political units above, below, and beyond the state. For example, at the scale above the state, attention is directed to regional integration schemes and alliances, such as NATO and the European Union. At the scale below the state, students are introduced to the ways in winch electoral districts, municipal boundaries, and ethnic territories affect political, social, and economic processes In addition, students study how particular policies affect the spatial organization of cultural and social life, as in the case of racial segregation. Through study of these matters, students understand the importance of the political organization of territory in the contemporary world. Required reading: De Blij Chapter 4 pages 98-121, Chapter 6 pages 148-174 Where are folk and popular leisure activities distributed? Where are folk and popular material culture distributed? Why is access to folk and popular culture unequal? Why do folk and popular culture face sustainability challenges? Where are languages distributed? Why is English related to other languages? Why do individual languages vary among places? Why do people preserve local langues? Unit 5: Cultural Patterns and Processes: Religion & Ethnicities (Week 13-14) This section of the course explores four themes: the origin and spread of agriculture; the characteristics of the world s agricultural regions; reasons why these regions function the way they do; and the impact of agricultural change on the quality of life and the environment, Students first examine centers where domestication originated and study the processes by which domesticates spread. This diffusion process makes clear why distinct regional patterns of diet, energy use, and agrarian technology emerged. The course next examines Earth s major agricultural production regions. Extensive activity (fishing, forestry, nomadic herding, ranching, shifting cul tivation) and intensive activity (plantation agriculture, mixed crop/livestock systems, market gardening, horticulture, factory farms) are examined, as are settlement patterns and landscapes typical of oath major agriculture type.
In addition, students learn about land survey systems, environmental conditions, and cultural values that created and sustain the patterns. Explanations for the location of agricultural activities are another major concern, Von Thünen s land use model, agricultural change, such as the impact of factory fanning on food supplies, and the distribution of crops and animals are also emphasized. The need for increased food supplies and the capacity to crease food production concludes this section. Required reading: De Blij Chapter 5 125-146, Chapter 7 pages 177-216 Where are religions distributed? Why do religions have different distributions? Why do religions organize space in distinctive patterns? Why do territorial conflicts arise among religious groups? Where are ethnicities distributed? Why do ethnicities have distinctive distributions? Why do conflicts arise among ethnicities? Why do ethnicities engage in ethnic cleansing and genocide? Thanksgiving Break November 25 29 Unit 6: Political Organization of Space: Political Geography (Week 15-16) This section of the course introduces students to the nature and significance of the political organization of territory at different scales. Students learn that political patterns reflect ideas about how Earth s surface should be organized mid affect a wide range of activities and understandings. The course gives primary attention to the political geography of the modem nation-state or country. Students are introduced to the different forces that shaped the evolution of the contemporary world political map, including the rise of the modem state in Europe and the influence of colonialism. Students also learn about the basic structure of the political map and the inconsistencies between maps of political boundaries and maps of ethnic, economic, and environmental patterns. In addition, students consider some of the forces that are changing the role of individual countries in the modern world, including ethnic separatism, economic globalization, the emergence of regional economic blocs, and the need to confront environmental problems that cross national boundaries. This part of the course also focuses on political units above, below, and beyond the state. For example, at the scale above the state, attention is directed to regional integration schemes and alliances, such as NATO and the European Union. At the scale below the state, students are introduced to the ways in winch electoral districts, municipal boundaries, and ethnic territories affect political, social, and economic processes In addition, students study how particular policies affect the spatial organization of cultural and social life, as in the case of racial segregation. Through study of these matters, students understand the importance of the political organization of territory in the contemporary world.
Required reading: De Blij Chapter 8 pages 219-253 Where are states distributed? Why are nation-states difficult to create? Why do boundaries cause problems? Why do states cooperate and compete with each other? Unit 7: Political Organization of Space: Development (Week 17 19) Economic activity has a spatial character influenced by the interaction of several factors, including natural resources, culture, politics, and history in specific places. By dividing economic activities into key sectors, students can appreciate why natural resources have different, values for different societies, and how places and regions acquire comparative advantages for development. In this section of the course, students learn about the geographic elements of industrialization and development. Students need to understand how models of economic development, such as Rostow's stages of economic growth and Wallerstein s World Systems Theory, help to explain why the world is described as being divided into a well-developed core and a less-developed periphery. The course also includes a comparison of location theories, such as those by Weber and von Thünen, which stress resource and market dependence, with accounts of economic g1obalization, which accent time space compression and the new international division of labor. For example, students might study the reasons why some Asian economies achieved rapid rates of growth in the 1980s while most sub- Saharan African economies experienced decline. In addition, students need to understand patterns of economic growth mid decline in North America. This part of the course also addresses contemporary issues surrounding economic activity. For example, countries, regions, and communities must confront new patterns of economic inequity that are linked to geographies of interdependence in the global economy. Communities also face difficult questions regarding use and conservation of resources and the impact of pollution on the environment and quality of life. Students study the impact of deindustrialization, the disaggregation of production, and the rise of consumption and leisure activities. Required reading: De Blij Chapter 10 pages 300-325 Why does development vary among countries? Why does development vary by gender? Why are energy resources important for development? Why do countries face obstacles to development?
Winter Break Dec 23 Jan 6 Unit 1 7: 1 st Semester Review (Week 20) Unit 8: Agriculture, Food Production, & Rural Land Use (Week 21-24) This section of the course explores four themes: the origin and spread of agriculture; the characteristics of the world s agricultural regions; reasons why these regions function the way they do; and the impact of agricultural change on the quality of life and the environment, Students first examine centers where domestication originated and study the processes by which domesticates spread. This diffusion process makes clear why distinct regional patterns of diet, energy use, and agrarian technology emerged. The course next examines Earth s major agricultural production regions. Extensive activity (fishing, forestry, nomadic herding, ranching, shifting cultivation) and intensive activity (plantation agriculture, mixed crop/livestock systems, market gardening, horticulture, factory farms) are examined, as are settlement patterns and landscapes typical of oath major agriculture type. In addition, students learn about land survey systems, environmental conditions, and cultural values that created and sustain the patterns. Explanations for the location of agricultural activities are another major concern, Von Thünen s land use model, agricultural change, such as the impact of factory fanning on food supplies, and the distribution of crops and animals are also emphasized. The need for increased food supplies and the capacity to crease food production concludes this section. Required reading: De Blij Chapter 11 pages 328-357 Where did agriculture originate? Why do people consume different foods? Where is agriculture distributed? Why do farmers face economic difficulties? Unit 9: Industrialization & Economic Development (Week 25-29) Economic activity has a spatial character influenced by the interaction of several factors, including natural resources, culture, politics, and history in specific places. By dividing economic activities into key sectors, students can appreciate why natural resources have different, values for different societies, and how places and regions acquire comparative advantages for development. In this section of the course, students learn about the geographic elements of industrialization and development. Students need to understand how models of economic development, such as Rostow's stages of economic growth and Wallerstein s World Systems Theory, help to explain why the world is
described as being divided into a well-developed core and a less-developed periphery. The course also includes a comparison of location theories, such as those by Weber and von Thünen, which stress resource and market dependence, with accounts of economic g1obalization, which accent time space compression and the new international division of labor. For example, students might study the reasons why some Asian economies achieved rapid rates of growth in the 1980s while most sub- Saharan African economies experienced decline. In addition, students need to understand patterns of economic growth mid decline in North America. This part of the course also addresses contemporary issues surrounding economic activity. For example, countries, regions, and communities must confront new patterns of economic inequity that are linked to geographies of interdependence in the global economy. Communities also face difficult questions regarding use and conservation of resources and the impact of pollution on the environment and quality of life. Students study the impact of deindustrialization, the disaggregation of production, and the rise of consumption and leisure activities. Required reading: De Blij Chapter 12 pages 361-387 Where is industry distributed? Why are situation and site factors important? Where does industry cause pollution? Why are situation and site factors changing? Where are services, consumer services, & business services distributed? Why do services cluster in settlements? Unit 10: Cities & Urban Land Use (Week 30-33) The course divides urban geography into two subfields. The first is the study of systems of cities, focusing on where cities are located and why they are there. This involves an examination of such topics as the current and historical distribution of cities; the political economic and cultural functions of cities; reasons for differential growth among cities; and types of transportation and communication linkages between cities. Theories of settlement geography, such as Christaller s central place theory and the rank size rule, are also introduced, Quantitative information on such topics as population growth, migration fields, zones of influence, and job creation are used to analyze changes in the urban hierarchy. The second subfield focuses on the form, internal structure, and landscapes of cities and emphasizes what cities are like as places in which to live and work. Students are introduced to such topics as the analysis of patterns of land use, racial and ethnic segregation, types of intra-city transportation, architectural traditions, and cycles of uneven constriction and development. Students understanding of cities as places is enhanced by both quantitative data from the census and qualitative information from narrative accounts and field studies, Students also study comparative models of internal city structure: for example, the Burgess concentric zone model, the Hoyt sector model, and the Harris Ullman multiple nuclei model. Topics such as architectural history and the evolution of various
transportation technologies can be useful in the analysis of the types of spatial patterns and landscapes evident in cities. While much of the literature in urban geography focuses on the cities of North America, comparative urbanization is an increasingly important topic, The study of European, Islamic, East and South Asian, Latin American, and sub-saharan African cities serves to illustrate how differing economic systems and cultural values can lead to variations in the spatial structures and landscapes of urban places, Students also examine current trends in urban development that are affecting urban places, such as the emergence of edge cities and the gentrification of neighborhoods. In addition, students evaluate urban planning design initiatives and community actions that will shape cities in the future. Required reading: De Blij Chapter 9 pages 257-280 Why do services cluster downtown? Where are people distributed within urban areas? Why are urban areas expanding? Why do cities face challenges? Spring Break April 6-10 Flex Time for Finishing Units & Review (Week 34-35) AP Exam Review & Exam (Week 36-38) Student Evaluation & Grading Students grades are based on the completion of classroom assignments and study guides. Unit tests will consist of multiple choice questions and free-response questions (CRQ s/frq s). Grades are assigned as indicated here: Unit Tests Quizzes Collaborative Projects Essay Writing Interim Assessments Assignments Grade Weights Grading Scale Class Assessments 25% Quiz 10% Interim Assessment 2% Summative Assessment 43% Final Exam 20% A: 90 and above B: 80 89 C: 74 79 D: 70 73 F: 69 or below